The Foundation

The Foundation

The St Andrew’s College Foundation was established in 1991 to oversee the management and prudent investment of the generous gifts and donations which flow from individuals, families and businesses connected to the College. The Foundation continues to successfully fulfil this role to protect and underwrite the objectives of an independent St Andrew’s College and the educational objectives for current and future generations.

Through years of donor contributions to the St Andrew’s College Foundation and through careful investment of those funds, the Foundation is now an important part of the financial security of our College, with an investment performance of Foundation Assets well ahead of all relevant market benchmarks. Our investment assets are broadly diversified and regularly scrutinised.

By giving to the Foundation, you are also contributing to covering the cost of scholarships. The capital growth in the Foundation is increasingly funding scholarships.

St Andrew’s College Foundation Trustees

Gifts made to the Foundation are combined and invested for the long term. Trustees, appointed by the College’s Board of Governors, have unrestricted powers to invest and operate in accordance with relevant legislation and prudent investment strategy. They may purchase assets for use by the College and/or lend money to the College at commercial or favourable interest rates.

Our outstanding group of Trustees skills are drawn from a broad spectrum of industries and professions, as listed below in their individual biographies. The Trustees continue to work closely with the College Board to ensure that they fully understand the dynamic needs of a thriving school.

Current Foundation Trustees are:

Mr Rodger Finlay (Chair)

Rodger is a graduate of the University of Otago. He is a Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Directors and a Fellow of Chartered Accountants ANZ. He is Chair of the Advisory Panel of the Provincial Growth Fund, a Governor of Radio NZ, Deputy Chair of Rural Equities Limited, Chairman of Mundane Asset Management and a director or trustee of several other New Zealand entities. He and wife Emily live near Christchurch and have a daughter boarding at St Andrew’s College.

Mr Richard Smith

Richard attended the College from 1980-84 and was Deputy Head Prefect, Drum Sergeant in the Pipe Band and Goalkeeper in the First XI Football team. After leaving Year 13, he was also a house tutor in the boarding house and tutored the Pipe Band. He graduated from the University of Canterbury with Law and Commerce degrees and then joined a national law firm, Duncan Cotterill, as a commercial lawyer. He was appointed as a Partner there in 1997 and is currently Chairman of the firm’s Board and Partnership. As well as the Foundation, Richard holds a number of other charitable trustee roles, including the Lamar Charitable Trust and the Halberg Endowment Fund (both supporting people with disabilities) and, locally, the Canterbury Charity Hospital Trust.

Mr Nick Letham

Nick has had a long association with St Andrew’s College, having been a boarder at the College from 1997 to 2001 and Head of College in his final year. He has been on the executive of the Old Collegians Association since 2007 and was President from 2014 to 2016. He has also worked in boarding at the College for more than 10 years, as well as being involved in the College’s global education trips led by Ian ‘Morrie’ Morrison. Nick is a senior associate at Chapman Tripp, specialising in corporate and commercial law with a particular focus on corporate governance and M&A. He holds a Masters degree in Law from the University of Cambridge, as well as Bachelors degrees in Law and Accounting from the University of Canterbury.

Mr Simon Challies

Simon is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, was the Deloitte Top 200 Executive of the Year in 2014, INFINZ Leader for 2013 and NZ Shareholders Association Beacon Award recipient for 2011. Simon was Chief Financial Officer (1999–2006) and Chief Executive (2006–2017) of Ryman Healthcare – one of New Zealand's most successful companies on the NZX and one of Boston Consulting Group's Top 10 value creators in the health sector globally. Simon’s son Sam started at St Andrew’s College in Year 7 and completed his final year in 2018.

Mrs Margaret Turley

Margaret and husband Murray have farmed their properties as a family partnership since 1974, and now farm at Temuka and Rangitata (both in South Canterbury), and at Chertsey in Mid Canterbury. The partnership grows onions, potatoes, wheat, barley, vining peas, sweet corn, ryegrass, clover, and hybrid seed carrots. The Turleys are major suppliers of process potatoes in South Canterbury and are also one quarter shareholders in Southern Packers Ltd. Margaret’s association with St Andrew’s is through husband Murray who attended the College, followed by her son Lachlan, and now two of her grandchildren, Hugh and Harper, currently attend the pre-school.

Mr Matthew Lancaster

Matthew attended the College from 1980 to 1984. Now living in Auckland, he had an 11-year career in law followed by a 15-year career in the corporate trust industry, in which his last role was as co-founder and Managing Director of Foundation Corporate Trust, New Zealand’s only stand alone, full service supervisory business.

Matthew has a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Canterbury and is now studying to complete a Bachelor of Arts in Ancient History and Art History at the University of Auckland.

Mr David Boyd

Mr Andrew Bascand

Andrew has more than 27 years' investment management experience in roles with the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, Bank of England, AMP, Merrill Lynch, and most recently as Managing Director of Harbour Asset Management. Andrew is an Old Collegian of St Andrew’s College himself, along with his brother, father and nephews, with a history spanning back to 1939.